Book VII. DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 913 



5787. Roaring is also a termination <\f pneumonia, in which case the lungs are not affected, but con- 

 gealed blood, under the name of coagulable lymph, remains in the trachea or windpipe, and obstructs the 

 free passage of the air ; by means of which the roaring noise is made. It is in vain to expect a cure : 

 blistering the throat sometimes slightly relieves it. 



5788. Chronic cough is also a termination of pneumonia, and appears dependent on a peculiar irrita- 

 bility the disease leaves in the bronchial passages, which are found afterwards incapable of bearing any sud- 

 den alteration of temperature : thus horses with this kind of cough are excited to it as soon as the sta- 

 ble door opens, and by every exertion, by drinking, by eating, and, in fact, by any thing that alters the 

 situation of the body, or is new to the part. But besides pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs pro- 

 ducing it, it is often brought on likewise by gross feeding, which, weakening the stomach, impoverishes 

 the blood, and thus injures the lungs which are fed by that blood. "Worms also by the same means are 

 a cause of chronic cough. It is thus that we expect to derive benefit by mediums acting on the stomach. 

 Green food is often found useful, but particularly carrots. The hay should be excellent in quality and 

 small in quantity ; and it will be found that soiling in the stable, but particularly a course of carrots, lorms 

 a better plan of treatment than turning out. If worms be suspected, treat as under that head. (5809.) 

 Formulae of chronic cough balls are seen in the Vet. P/iaftn. (5900.) 



5789. Broken wind is also sotnetimes brought on by pneumonia, and sometimes by occult causes. It 

 is often occasioned by over-exertion after full meals, in which the lungs become permanently weakened, 

 perhaps ruptured in their air cells. Inexperienced persons find some difficulty in detecting broken wind 

 from other chest affections, as chronic cough, occasional colds, &c. &c. 



5790. Criteria of broken u>i7id. The cough which accompanies broken wind is a short deep hollow grunt- 

 ing noise, and the short grunting expiration is peculiarly excited by turning a horse quickly round, strik- 

 ing him smartly with a stick at the same time, which often produces the deep sound without the cough ; 

 and which is so significant as never to be mistaken when^-once heard and attended to : but the principal 

 peculiarity arises from -the beating of the flanks, which operate rather by three efforts than by two as usual. 

 In the first, the air is drawn in, in the usual manner, and the flanks fill up as in common ; but in the 

 next, the falling of the flanks is by no means natural, for it is nottione by a gradual sinking of the sides, 

 but it takes place at once, with a kind of jerk, as though the horse] were sighing; and then a third 

 effort takes place by a more slow drawing up of the muscles of the belly and flanks, to press out the 

 remaining air. Broken wind destroys the fecundity of the mare, and hence argues permanent alteration 

 of structure ; it is also always incurable, but horses may be rendered very useful that have it, by feed- 

 ing them very nutritiously, but with their food ;much cond'ensed in bulk. Little hay should be allowed, 

 and that little should be wetted, water in any other way should be given but sparingly, for which they 

 are however very greedy : from which circumstance, as well as that they are peculiarly flatulent, we learn, 

 that the vitiation of the lungs is cither aggravated by the deranged state of the digestive organs ; or, 

 which is more probable, that the digestive powers become weakened from the state of the lungs, 



5791. Diseases of the belli/. Inflamed stomach seldom attacks the horse as an idiopathic affection, but 

 it is not unfrequent for the stomach to become inflamed by mineral poisons as well as rendered inert by 

 vegetable ones. 



5792. Mineral poisons inflame the stomach acutely, and produce excessive distress, and cold sweats ; the 

 animal lies down, rolls, gets up again, looks short round to his ribs, stamps with his fore feet, and his 

 pulse beats quick and short. When arsenic or corrosive subhmate have occasioned the malady, a viscid 

 mucus distils from the nose and mouth, and the breath is foetid. When copper in the form of vitriolic 

 salts, or verdigris has been given, to the foregoing symptoms are usually added ineffectual attempts 

 to vomit. Immediately the poisoning is discovered, pour down two ounces oi sulphuretted potash, 

 in a quart of water, or in the absence of that, an ounce of common potash in the same quantity cf 

 water : or when no better substitute is at hand, even strong soap suds are advisable. Mineral poisons have 

 also another mode of acting, and are often received into the constitution, neither by design to do mis- 

 chief, nor by mistake ; but are purposely given as remedies. In this way, both mercury and arsenic are 

 frequently given for worms, glanders, farcy, &c., in daily doses, which, when even of considerable mag- 

 nitude, occasion for many days no inconvenience: all at once, however, the constitution becomes fully 

 saturated with the poison, and although before diffused throughout the blood, it now appears to return 

 and act on the stomach to the great surprise of the owner. In these cases the symptoms are not usually 

 so violent as in the former instance, but they are equally fatal. A similar treatment with the one already 

 prescribed is necessary, and as soon as the first symptoms are abatefl, give laxatives. In all these cases, large 

 quantities of linseed tea should be horned down, the back should be raked, and clysters thrown up, blood 

 should also be taken away plentifully. As a j)reventive to this latter mode of poisoning, whenever 

 mineral agents are used, it js prudent every five or six days to stop a while, and then recommence, by 

 which the constitution will part with the previous quantity. 



5793. Salivation is also anotlier mode of poisoning, and though not equally injurious to the stomach, it 

 often proves distressing, and sometimes fatal. Whenever, therefore, mercurials are given, carefully 

 watch the gums, and as soon as they look red, and the horse quids his hay, give him a mild purge instead 

 of his mercurial. 



5794;. Vegetable poisons also inflame the stomach, but by no means in an equal degree with the mineral 

 poisons ; nor is it supposed that it is the inflammation they raise that proves destructive, but by an eflfect 

 communicated through the stomach -to the nervous system. Digitalis purpurea or foxglove, tarus 

 haccata or yew, oenanthe crocata or water dropwort, cicuta i;-o>fo or water hemlock, phellandrium aquet- 

 ticum or water parsley, conium maculatian or common hemlock, are all poisonous in a high degree ta 

 horses, and may be taken accidentally by the animal as food, or given injudiciously as medicine. Nico- 

 tiana or tobacco, and the vegetable acid or vinegar, are also poisonous, and are sometimes productive oC 

 injurious consequences by over.doses, when intended as remedies. It is little known that a pint of strong 

 vinegar has destroyed a horse. As we cannot remove the matters from the stomach, we must endeavor 

 to neutralize their effects by acids and demulcents, as oil, butter, &c. Thus, when narcotics have been 

 taken, a drachm of sulphuric acid or oil of vitriol may be given in a quart of alej or six ounces ot" 

 vinegar, with six of gin, and a quart of ale, may be tried. 



5795. Stomach staggers. This peculiar complaint, which is even yet but little understood, appears de- 

 pendent on a particular state of stomach, acting on particular foods ; and not on what is taken in, acting 

 on the stomach, as was supposed by Coleman, White, and others. From later communications of White^ 

 he also now appears to consider it as originating in " a peculiar state of stomach." Blaine appears always 

 to have characterised it as " a specific inflammation of the stomach." It appears among horses of every 

 description, and at grass as well as in the stable ; and there is reason to think it epidemic, as it is prevalent, 

 in some seasons more than in others. It may, perhaps, be regarded now and then as endemic also ; under 

 which circumstance it appears confined to low wet situations, where long marshy grass is abundant, and 

 where noxious aquatic plants mix themselves with the grasses. When it occurs at grass, the horse is 

 found stupidly dull, or asleep with his head resting against something. This has occasioned the disease 

 to be called the sleepy staggers : and it has often been confounded wiih the phrenitis or inflammation of 

 the brain. (5760.) In the stable the horse doses, and rests his head in the manger; he then wakes up and 

 falls to eating, which he continues to do until the distention of the stomach becomes enormous ; for 

 the peculiarity of the complaint consists in the total stop that is put to digestion, and the uneasy feel of the 

 distention consequent to such indigestion appears to deceive the horse, and by a morbid excitement to force 

 him to take in more. In this way he continues eating until the distention prevents the return of the blood 

 from the head, and the animal dies apoplectic, or his stomach bursts with over-distention. More frc- 



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